NHL 2011-2012: Possible Uniform Changes

[IceCap]

Also hectibro, it's Laefs not Laffs. If you're going to forgo making a point to ridicule my favourite team you can at least get the insult right.

Quoted for the delicious ironing.

The Laefs misspelling was intentional. If you want to change "Leafs" to laughs while still making it look like "Leafs" then "Laefs" makes more sense then "Laffs."

[OMMF]

Also hectibro, it's Laefs not Laffs. If you're going to forgo making a point to ridicule my favourite team you can at least get the insult right.

Quoted for the delicious ironing.

The Laefs misspelling was intentional. If you want to change "Leafs" to laughs while still making it look like "Leafs" then "Laefs" makes more sense then "Laffs."

Oh, I'm aware but after about 95 seconds, the context goes away and it's just amusing.

[IceCap]

Also hectibro, it's Laefs not Laffs. If you're going to forgo making a point to ridicule my favourite team you can at least get the insult right.

Quoted for the delicious ironing.

The Laefs misspelling was intentional. If you want to change "Leafs" to laughs while still making it look like "Leafs" then "Laefs" makes more sense then "Laffs."

Oh, I'm aware but after about 95 seconds, the context goes away and it's just amusing.

Ah, gotcha. My mistake.

[Morgan33]

Anybody else starting to miss these?

Uhhhhhhhh.... NOPE. I miss the rainstorm jerseys more than I miss those bland pieces of garbage.

Agreed, really wish I could find one at a reasonable price.

I got a replica from another site for around $100. They pop up on Ebay once in a while for $85-100.

Im unclear how this tacky, hideously striped, die sublimated mess is superior to Tampa Bay's original jerseys. The only valid criticism I've heard about those jerseys concerns the logo which also appears on the rainstorm jersey. The striping is simple, classy and understated. As Ice Cap said if you put the current(soon to be former) logo's on it you'd have the perfect identity.

[murtaugh]

[but, let's say that the Chicago Fire got rid of the white stripe across the front of their red kits, and instead went with something that very much resembled Arsenal instead. Sure, Arsenal has a (generally) very classy look. However, I get the feeling that the Fire faithful consider that stripe to be part of the team's tradition identity--even if that tradition has only existed for fifteen seasons.

Of course. But it always remains a balance.

For instance, the Fire's identity was specifically designed to resemble an original six NHL team, and they are certainly not that.

Borrowing from sports/design history can work, and it works here. Maybe they'll need a third black, and possibly identify another Pantone blue. I don't think these are unreasonable in the least, and much of the vitrol is standard-issue belching.

[-kj]

That's fair; there's usually a middle ground, one which most people around here have trouble finding.

I think it was a noble effort, and generally good; but I feel like they missed a bit in important ways. I'd like it more if this were a new team unveiling this, though I'd still perhaps question something so obviously borrowed from Detroit (especially given the Yzerman connection).

[GMW79]

Funny how Leafs fans are annoyed with this while Wings fans take it as a supreme compliment from their demi-god in exile.

For the record, I'm a Wings fan who finds the new TB "identity" to be hideous. Simplicity works for the Wings and Leafs. It doesn't work for the Lightning. Hopefully, there's enough fan backlash and they scrap these regardless of all the "hard work" and "effort" put into designing them. These things are a major downgrade for the NHL as a whole.

[Lee.]

It's not like the navy and black combo without any white or silver to separate them was the best idea the league ever had, either. The EDGE-era Lightning jerseys were terrible, and were actually a downgrade over the dated-at-revelation original jerseys.

There's so much that could be done well with a name like Lightning, and it has yet to happen. The new blue jerseys are pretty good, the new white ones stink, and Tampa is still sans a quality identity.

[charger77]

Why couldn't the have used this?

[uniformity]

Replace the Canucks with the Wild and I'll buy into that.

The Canucks go back to their uniform templates from the mid 70s and theyre stealing from the original six. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

[IceCap]

Replace the Canucks with the Wild and I'll buy into that.

The Canucks go back to their uniform templates from the mid 70s and theyre stealing from the original six. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Reading is both fun and informative!

I suggested Lights Out remove the Canucks from his "Unoriginal Six" list because they're using their own past as the basis for their current set.

[twi]

I'm disappointed that the victory stripes and lightning bolt stripe on the pant shell are gone. Those were two distinctive design elements for this team since Day 1.

I like the blue, black, and silver scheme a lot more than just the white and blue. The silver was always underused, imo.

Edit: Just read the last few pages, they stole a color palette? lol, ok.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I said what I didn't like about these in the Lightning-specific thread, and it seems all those issues have been covered here.

But let me ask this: What if these same simple uniforms (ok, minus the circle secondary logo -- so tired of those) were done in just black and white?

Personally, I think it would make them more tolerable, as unused a combo as that is. I'm not opposed to simple, but i'd prefer they stick to their own traditions rather than take other teams' (so throw the victory stripes and bolt pants back in there, too.)

I think these in black could work (I like Puckguy's idea, too.).

[O.C.D]

I've been coming to this board for a while, and the same pattern seems to emerge when a team decides to unveil a new uniform/logo. A huge amount of people drastically over-react to how bad/disgraceful/unprofessional/half-baked/unoriginal/hideous a NEW uniform or logo is, then people come out and pimp there own (or a board friend's) design asking "Why couldn't they do something like THIS?" then other people drop to there knees praising the design that comes form this board. It's predictable.

From time to time people on this board put out some beautiful designs, but I think people are so used to "business as usual" that they hate for the sake of hating.

Oh, and lest I forget the "I wish they would go back to the super old design" guy. At least one in every post.

The Stormy sea Lightning alt is such a cluttered piece of crap. Progress mean's going forward brother!

[Braden]

Why couldn't the have used this?

I was thinking something more along the lines of what I quickly drew up.

I really wish they kept the old colours.

[HawkeyHouse]

I was thinking something more along the lines of what I quickly drew up.

I really wish they kept the old colours.

I don't like the blue you used. Other than that, its cool.

[BrianVlietDesign]

The Stormy sea Lightning alt is such a cluttered piece of crap. Progress mean's going forward brother!

While I agree the "Storm" uniform was cluttered as all get out, I'd rather wear that any day than the new uniforms. The Lightning have gone overboard with this rebranding. They went from one of the more identifiable uniform sets in hockey to giving in with the trend and totally destroying what "identity" they already had. If this is progress, I'm worried to see what the NHL will look like in 5 years. If it takes that long.

[IceCap]

I've been coming to this board for a while, and the same pattern seems to emerge when a team decides to unveil a new uniform/logo. A huge amount of people drastically over-react to how bad/disgraceful/unprofessional/half-baked/unoriginal/hideous a NEW uniform or logo is, then people come out and pimp there own (or a board friend's) design asking "Why couldn't they do something like THIS?" then other people drop to there knees praising the design that comes form this board. It's predictable.

From time to time people on this board put out some beautiful designs, but I think people are so used to "business as usual" that they hate for the sake of hating.

Oh, and lest I forget the "I wish they would go back to the super old design" guy. At least one in every post.

The Stormy sea Lightning alt is such a cluttered piece of crap. Progress mean's going forward brother!

You forgot another common element to the process; the self-proclaimed "voice of reason" who attempts to put the "haters" in their place by criticizing them for daring to hold a negative opinion about an unpopular design.

[Lee.]

At least they didn't run with vintage white.

[IceCap]

At least they didn't run with vintage white.

This is true. Gotta be happy for the little things I suppose.